Ah, the first week of school! So many new faces and lots of buzz on campus.
When you have to deal with placing people in their new homes, it can get pretty heated. Some people don't want to be in the dorm they've gotten, some people don't think it's fair they have to live on campus, and some people just aren't happy no matter where you put them. One thing you have to do is have a positive attitude. It's so hard most of the time because people yell, don't listen, and sometimes you're so busy you just want to bury your head in the sand.
These are some tips to help you and they mostly apply to freshmen because they are the ones who have the most trouble when moving in.
Remember they are starting a new chapter in their lives and they're scared and excited.
Their parents are letting them go for the first time and they are also scared and not too excited.
Their whole year is wrapped up in the first week of experiences. Believe it or not a couple bad interactions and they might drop out of school.
It will all level out. When we're here for a week straight, late nights, and no end in sight it's hard to remember this is the week of chaos. While it will never be slow, it will level out.
I know I'm not telling you anything you don't already know if you're fortunate enough to work in student affairs, but it's a good idea to remind yourself of these things when you're getting really stressed out. So now that we've gotten through moving them in, they will be looking to change rooms, fighting with roommates, and having a hard time adjusting. I love helping them because I was in the same boat as a freshman.
Anyone else work at a college?